


Meeting Atticus Gore

by highqualitymercy



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Horror, M/M, Malec, One Shot, horror with a happy ending, my first story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-25 07:20:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12526000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/highqualitymercy/pseuds/highqualitymercy
Summary: Alec and Magnus look over a new crime scene together, and Magnus knows who is responsible. The problem is that the culprit is an extremely old and powerful warlock, and if they want to prove that he's responsible, they'll have to be careful with how they handle it.





	Meeting Atticus Gore

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So this is my first story and I'm really excited about it. Hope everyone enjoys! I don't own characters of Shadowhunters.

Alec was holding Magnus’ hand as he leaned against the holo-table, looking over the 3D crime scene before them. Someone had been very, very violently murdered, and the use of magic was evident in every crevice of the scene before them. It had been on Crosby Street in SoHo, originally looking like one of the regular murders that had been occurring there lately. But when one of the Shadowhunters had dropped by to take a quick look at it, they had seen that it was anything but. As soon as Alec was told, he called Magnus, and that was how they ended up there, looking over the scene together. Magnus sighed.  
“I just can’t tell what exactly was used unless I go see it in person. I’ll be able to pick up on a signature at the real scene,” he explained. Alec’s mouth twisted; he didn’t want Magnus wandering around that street by himself, even if he could destroy anyone who looked at him wrong. He knew that Magnus felt the same way about him, but ignored it as he replied.  
“Well, then let’s go. It’s only one-forty. We’ve got all afternoon,” he said, keeping his eyes trained on the table to avoid Magnus’ glare. His fiancé sighed again.  
“I suppose if we’re going together,” he ceded after a moment, and a smile ghosted over Alec’s mouth.  
“Great, let’s head over,” he said, keeping a straight face. He cut off the holo-table and the pair of them walked to the doors of the Institute hand in hand. Alec paused to put his jacket on and Magnus slipped into his coat. When they were both ready, Magnus opened a portal to a nearby street and they stepped through.  
There were people wandering around SoHo as they usually were, but Magnus and Alec were glamoured, so they slipped through the crowd, unnoticed. The closer they got to Crosby, the less people there were. When they reached the scene of the crime, Alec grimaced and felt Magnus’ hand tighten on his. It was horrific.  
He saw police tape around the perimeter, but it was the inside that made them pause. The first thing Alec noticed was the woman’s head, appearing to have rolled towards the edge of the scene, two feet from where they stood. He saw a hand next, a little further in, then a leg, and an arm. Police were wandering around aimlessly, appearing dumbfounded at the sight before them. He could understand; what sort of person could or would do this?  
He and Magnus locked eyes, and he could see pain in his fiancé’s gaze. It was awful, and after a moment, Magnus looked away with a quiet groan. Alec ran his thumb across Magnus’ knuckles absently.  
“Picking up on anything?” he asked. Magnus nodded, and Alec could see that he was overwhelmed. He tugged at his hand, pulling him away from the crime scene just enough for him to catch his breath. Once he did, Magnus met Alec’s eyes again.  
“She was torn apart limb by limb. I can’t tell exactly what spell was used, but I can see the asshole’s signature all over this,” he muttered. Alec raised his eyebrows.  
“Magnus, who did this?” he asked. With another sigh, Magnus ran his free hand over his face.  
“Atticus Gore. He’s the oldest warlock in New York, almost three times my age. He’s always been a little sketchy, but I never thought he would do something like this,” he replied, looking back at the woman’s head. Alec followed his gaze, and for a moment, neither one of them spoke.  
“Unfortunately, he won’t be easy to take in. He knows more about magic than anyone I’ve ever met, and he’s a big practitioner of black magic. I don’t want you going in alone, Alexander,” Magnus continued, looking at Alec sternly. Alec didn’t hesitate to nod; if he was willing to do something like this to some random mundane woman, Raziel knew what he would do to a Shadowhunter poking around in his business.  
“Don’t worry, I don’t intend to. Do you need to see anything else here?” he asked. Magnus shook his head once, eyes wandering back to the scene before them again before he took Alec’s hand and led him back to the street where they originally landed. He opened another portal and they went back to the Institute.

Alec was sitting at his desk that night trying to think of who would be able to help with this one, but he came up short. The best plan would be to come in and appear non-threatening, but with a team of Shadowhunters, that was pretty much impossible. He had already promised Magnus that he wouldn’t go in alone, so that was out. He needed to find an in between, but what that would be, he had no idea.  
He looked up at the sound of a quiet knock on his office door. Magnus was leaning against the doorframe with a confident smile, but Alec knew him well enough to see that he was still troubled.  
“Hey,” he greeted with a small smile of his own. Magnus stepped into the office, shutting the door behind him with a click and moving to stand close to Alec.  
“Hey,” he said back. Alec leaned into his stomach wordlessly, and Magnus’ hand immediately started stroking his hair in a soothing motion.  
“Still thinking about going after Atticus?” Magnus asked, earning a tired nod from his fiancé.  
“Yeah, I am,” he answered, then promptly explained his dilemma, earning a smile when Magnus heard him not even consider breaking his promise. They were quiet for a moment before Magnus spoke.  
“I could go with you,” he offered quietly. Alec looked up at him.  
“Are you sure? You usually don’t want anything to do with this kind of stuff.” Magnus grimaced a little, but it was true. He didn’t like to be seen openly helping the Shadowhunters against warlocks, considering it was his people who could relieve him of his title of High Warlock.  
“I know, but I don’t want you going in alone, and besides, he’s more likely to trust me than any of the Shadowhunters. We’ve met before,” he explained. Alec looked at him for another moment before nodding and leaning against him again.  
“Okay, if you’re sure. We can go see him tomorrow,” he said, and Magnus didn’t reply, only resumed running his fingers through Alec’s hair.

It was raining the next morning, and they were both up at seven a.m., a little later than usual but still early enough for Magnus to groan at the hour. They took turns between the bathroom and getting dressed. Alec put on black gear pants with a navy button-up, a black leather jacket, and black boots. Magnus wore dark pants and dress shoes with a black waistcoat, a patterned shirt, and his black coat with studs on the back. They both ate breakfast quietly, each knowing that the other was nervous about the day ahead. When they finished, Magnus snapped the dishes away and the couple looked at each other.  
“Well…” Alec trailed off. Magnus grabbed his hand gently and kissed his knuckles before pulling him to his feet.  
“Let’s get this over with,” he said. Alec made sure he had his phone, stele, and seraph blade while Magnus slipped his own phone into his pocket.  
Magnus opened a portal and the pair of them stepped through, holding hands once more. When Alec stepped out, he took a moment to evaluate the new surroundings.  
They were in front of an old house, one that he had never seen before. He guessed that they were somewhere on the outskirts of the city. The house was three stories and in the Victorian style, clearly having been beautiful before, but it now looked dilapidated and run down. Water damage was evident and Alec could smell the mildew from where he stood, helped none by the rain. The grass around them was a bright, unearthly green color, and the stone walkway was clear of water despite the droplets hitting it one after the other. Even Alec could feel the magic there; he couldn’t imagine what Magnus was feeling.  
A glance at his fiancé revealed Magnus trying to keep a straight face, but ending up with a slight frown at the smell and the tense energy surrounding the whole area. Alec squeezed his hand and got a smile in reply, and they walked towards the front door together. But when Magnus raised his hand to knock, the door was already flying open.  
“Magnus Bane! Oh, and I see you’ve brought your Shadowhunter with you. Excellent, excellent, just as I foresaw. Come in, won’t you?” said the man standing before them, and Alec tried to hide his surprise.  
The man had almost gray hair with beady blue eyes and a hooked nose. His features were young, but when Alec looked at him he could tell that he was ancient. Almost three times my age, Magnus had said. Alec and Magnus looked at each other for just a moment, and Alec gave him a look that said, well, no turning back now. Magnus nodded, tightening his hand around Alec’s, and looked back to Atticus.  
“Of course, old friend. I haven’t seen you in so long,” he replied, and they followed Atticus inside. As soon as he was through the doorway, Alec noticed the mildew smell worsen considerably. Magnus didn’t acknowledge it, and Alec kept his expression friendly. They followed the old warlock down the entry hall and into a sitting area filled with dusty and molded furniture. There was a porcelain tea set on the coffee table, and Atticus sat in a chair close to it, gesturing towards the couch for them to sit on. Magnus sat down first, and Alec followed cautiously before offering a friendly smile to Atticus, keeping in mind that he had to seem non-threatening.  
“Well, Atticus, it has been a while. How have you been?” Magnus asked politely, and Atticus rumbled out a laugh.  
“Same old, same old. Always trying to improve, always having more to do. There’s always something to learn, don’t you agree?” he asked, and Magnus nodded. Alec watched the interaction wordlessly.  
“Completely. Doesn’t matter how old you get,” his fiancé replied to the old warlock, who smiled at them.  
“So, I had heard rumors of you courting a Shadowhunter, but I never thought they were true. Seems a little strange, no?” he asked, and Magnus and Alec looked at each other again.  
“Well, these things do happen,” Magnus replied with a soft smile directed at his fiancé, “This is Alec, by the way. I told him that he simply had to meet you.”  
“It’s a pleasure,” Alec finally said, and Atticus shook his hand firmly before releasing it. Alec let it go back into Magnus’ grip without pause, and they were holding hands again. Atticus smiled at him, looking vaguely like a predator. Alec kept his face neutral but friendly, disguising his concern for what would happen while they were in that house.  
“Well, would you like some tea? I made it not too long ago,” Atticus offered, and Magnus was quick to shake his head.  
“No, thank you, Atticus. We just finished eating. Couldn’t be any fuller,” he said with a smile. Atticus cocked his head to the side.  
“Oh, but I insist! It’s a new recipe, and I’ve been dying for someone else to try it, for a second opinion, you see. Can’t you entertain an old man?” he pressed. Alec saw Magnus’ jaw tighten imperceptibly, knowing that the word dying hadn’t helped in the least bit.  
“Well, Alec doesn’t like tea and I’m certainly not a connoisseur, so…” he began, but Atticus was pouring three cups out. Alec raised an eyebrow at Magnus, who looked at him worriedly. The tea cups were placed in front of them with enough force that just a little of the dark liquid spilled onto the saucers they were on.  
“Please, have a drink,” Atticus said, though it sounded more like an order. Magnus’ jaw was twitching just a little bit, and Alec wasn’t sure how to react. Finally, he decided on an out.  
“I’m sorry, do you mind if I go use the restroom?” he asked, and Atticus looked at him.  
“No, I’ll just show you where-” he began, but Alec shook his head.  
“It’s okay, I can follow directions,” he cut in.  
“Down the hall, fourth door on the right,” Atticus replied through his teeth. Alec smiled at him charmingly.  
“Thank you very much,” he said, standing up and heading down the hall. A rotten smell hit his senses and Alec paused for just a moment, worried as to what he would find, but pushed forward anyway; it was why he was there. He could hear Magnus and Atticus continuing their conversation but let it disappear behind his focus. He followed his nose and came upon a metal door hidden behind a bookshelf, where the smell was strongest.  
Checking behind himself once, Alec quietly pushed the shelf aside and used an opening rune on the door, watching the lock pop and eliciting a quiet creak from the hinges. He looked back again; Atticus was nowhere to be seen, assumedly still being entertained by Magnus in the sitting room. With a bracing sigh, Alec took the first step through the door.  
There was a downward staircase that he had to descend, and it was getting shadier by the second. He drew a night-vision rune so that he could see and continued down the stairs. The rotting smell kept getting stronger and stronger as he went, and at the bottom of the staircase was another metal door. He looked back up at the light one time, then drew an opening rune and pulled the handle.  
The putrid smell hit him like a wave and left him dizzy, swaying where he stood. After he shook his head a couple times to clear his mind, he looked around the dark basement and froze. Body parts littered the floor, sitting in pools of blood all around. Alec felt bile rise in his throat but forced it down; he had seen worse than this before, surely.  
He took a cautious step into the room and saw, to his horror, an even more disturbing scene: there were bodies chained against the walls, and his hand flew to cover his mouth when he heard a pained moan. Someone is alive in here, he thought frantically, dropping his hand, but as he started to look for who it was he felt something slam into the back of his head, and everything went black.

When Alec woke up, his night-vision rune had run out; he was sitting in pitch black darkness, and the thought of where he could be was terrifying. The rotten smell was overwhelming, and he took that as a sign that he was still in the basement. At this realization, he promptly rolled onto his side and threw up all over the ground.  
After that was over, he sat back up. He couldn’t hear any breathing, so maybe he was alone. Or maybe I’m with something that doesn’t breathe was the thought that crossed his mind, but he waved it away; no use panicking over something he couldn’t be sure of. He started gently feeling his pockets to see if his stele was there, and to his surprise, it was right where he left it. He immediately re-drew his night vision rune, and paused once more when he realized that, yes, he was in the basement and no, nothing had changed. There were still body parts and pools of blood all over the floor, now joined by the puddle of vomit he hadn’t even attempted to keep down.  
It took him a moment to realize he was leaning against the wall, and when he did, he sat straight up and turned to look. There was a corpse directly behind him; he’d probably been leaning on its legs. He took a steadying breath and stood up, pausing long enough for his legs to stop shaking. Alec found the door and stepped towards it slowly, hoping that nothing would enter into his path. He reached it, only to find it locked again. When he tried to draw an opening rune, it simply burned out, leaving an imprint on his eyes as though it were mocking him.  
I’m trapped, he thought, and turned to see if there was anywhere in the room that wasn’t covered with corpses or any part of them. He saw one clean corner and made his way in that direction, stepping carefully over the horrors to get there. He wondered what Magnus was doing, and reached for his phone. When he pulled it out, NO SIGNAL was in the top left corner, and he sighed. Great.  
As he sat down on a wooden box that was in the clean corner, Alec remembered the moan from before. Someone had to have made that noise, but who? He looked around the room bracingly, waiting. There.  
On the adjacent wall, one of the bodies that was chained up was trembling; not enough to make any noise, but just enough to be noticeable. Alec watched it for a moment before he spoke.  
“Who are you?” he asked, his voice ringing clearly through the room. The figure raised its head enough for him to know that he had been heard, though he couldn’t make out any features.  
“You won’t get out of here alive,” it hissed, and he recognized it as a female voice. Alec raised an eyebrow, then leaned onto his knees.  
“Why do you say that?” he challenged, and she laughed darkly, getting louder with every croak of her voice. He waited without a word, nervous at her outburst.  
“Because he won’t let you! You’ll starve down here, even if you become a cannibal, even if there are no bodies left, you’ll starve! He’ll torture you, he’ll make you wish you had never set foot in this house, and after that, he’ll make you wish you were never born!” she cackled, her mutterings descending even further into madness until Alec could no longer make out any words. He was stock still, hoping that if he didn’t move she would go back to silence, but it didn’t happen; her crazed laughter continued until he saw blood flying from her lips with every breath she exhaled.  
As he leaned back, he heard metal sliding, but he didn’t react quickly enough; before he knew it, there were shackles on his wrists. Shit. Alec put his index finger on his engagement ring and hoped that Magnus’ spell would work. Their rings were enchanted so that they could communicate through thought alone, and now he really needed Magnus to hear him.  
I’m locked in his basement, the door won’t open. There’s a woman down here that’s nuts, and she’s freaking me out. I’m a little bit scared, so if there’s anything you can do, that would be great, he thought. After a long moment, he heard Magnus’ voice in his head.  
I’m so sorry, darling. I didn’t know where you had gone, and then Atticus kicked me out. I don’t know how to get there without a portal. Can you show me what it looks like?  
Alec memorized every horrifying detail of the basement and aimed his thoughts towards Magnus with a warning of what he would see. After a long, agonizing moment, the orange glow of a portal appeared by one of the walls. Magnus stepped out and looked around before he pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight.  
“Alexander?” he called, and Alec smiled from the corner.  
“Over here,” he said, and the flashlight beam swung towards him, as did Magnus’ cat eyes in the darkness. The pupils narrowed when they landed on him.  
“Oh, Alec,” Magnus said, sounding worried. Alec raised his eyebrows and stayed where he was, jiggling the chains a little so that he could see them. Magnus carefully made his way over and squatted in front of his fiancé.  
“Nice to see you in one piece, even if you are a little bloody,” he remarked, gently touching the back of Alec’s head where he had been hit.  
“Thanks. Can we go home?” Alec asked, and as Magnus began to nod, the woman started screaming.  
“THERE’S SOMEONE DOWN HERE! THEY’RE TRYING TO ESCAPE! STOP THEM! STOP THEM! STOP THEM! ATTICUSSSSS!” she shrieked, and Alec and Magnus looked at each other in horror for just a moment before Magnus removed the chains and carried Alec to the portal.  
The door flew open just as they started to step through, and Atticus stood there in blazing fury. He opened his mouth to say something and Magnus waved a hand, making Atticus’ clothes go up in flames. While he was distracted, Magnus rushed through the portal, Alec still in his arms.

Alec and Magnus landed back in the loft, and it took them a minute to process what had just happened. But they were both okay, and that was what mattered, so the two of them clung to each other and spent the rest of the day together for a well-deserved rest.


End file.
